Investigations Launched Following East Midlands Railway Deaths

Worker And Youngster Killed In Incidents In Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire

05.12.2012

The investigations into two separate incidents on railways in East Midlands which led to the deaths of a four-year-old girl and a worker must provide answers which can improve overall safety, a legal expert at Irwin Mitchell has urged.

British Transport Police (BTP) has confirmed it is investigating an incident on Tuesday lunchtime (December 4th) when a car was struck by the Lincoln to Doncaster train on a level crossing in Misson Springs, Nottinghamshire.

A 67-year-old woman and four-year-old girl in the car were seriously injured, but it has since emerged that the youngster – named as Emma Lifsey – has died in hospital.

In a separate incident around an hour later, a railway worker was killed after being struck by a train while working on track close to Saxilby station in Lincolnshire. BTP has revealed the Rail Accident Investigation Branch is now examining the circumstances of the incident.

Irwin Mitchell’s specialist lawyers have acted for victims and the families of those involved in rail accidents across the UK, including representing passengers injured in the Grayrigg derailment in 2007. The firm also has vast experience in cases in which workplace safety is under the spotlight.

David Urpeth, a Partner and expert in such cases at the national law firm, said: “While it is still very early days in the investigations into these incidents, it is clear that there are many questions which urgently need to be answered.

“These terrible incidents are not the first time that train and railway safety has been called into question and we have seen numerous occasions in the past when both the safety of workers and also the use of level crossings has been put under the microscope due to potential risks.

“It is vital that every effort is made to gain a comprehensive understanding of what happened, with a view to ensuring neither of these truly awful tragedies are repeated in the future. Our thoughts are with all of those affected by these incidents.”

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